INMO has been my life, says retiring general secretary Liam Doran

When Liam Doran was a young nurse staying in the nurses’ home at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, Co Louth, the nuns hung a sign on his door saying “Man in the House”.

To this day, he remains blessed among women — so said Martina Harkin-Kelly, president of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) in a tribute to their outgoing general secretary who steps down later this year.

Attending his 35th and last annual delegate conference in Co Wexford yesterday, Mr Doran was treated to a series of video clips down through the years, from a young, dark-haired and passionate trade union leader to an older, greyer, but no less passionate advocate for the rights of nurses and midwives.